Resources Hub » Knowledge base » How Do You Write in the Inverted Pyramid Style?

In email marketing, it can be important to take the psychology of your readers into account. How do your customers read? Do your customers skim or read every word?

Writing techniques like the inverted pyramid style were designed around the idea that people read in a certain way. This means that you can create the most effective copy possible for your audience.

Here’s what you need to know about the inverted pyramid style and how it can improve your content.

What is the inverted pyramid style?

In the inverted pyramid style, you write your newsletters with a concise headline that outlines the main object of the newsletter. These headlines should be followed by supporting text that dives straight into the info that was promised in the headline.

Images can and should also be included to support the arguments. The concluding section should be a CTA that urges the reader into taking a specific course of action.

Essentially, the most important information is presented first and continues in descending order of significance down to the bottom of the page. It’s headed with newsworthy information, with critical information directly below, leaving the background information for the bottom.

In other words, put the need-to-know info on top and the peripheral details on the bottom.

How to measure the success of the inverted pyramid style

You can measure the effects of your application of the inverted pyramid style in your content using the following metrics:

  • CTR or click-through rates
  • Subscribe rates
  • Unsubscribe rates
  • A/B testing analytics

These metrics can be easily found through Campaign Monitor’s Insights section, where you can see the overall statistics of your email marketing up to the past 15 months. One of the statistics that’ll be useful in measuring your content’s writing style success is the “Content” section that shows each email’s click rate.

There’s also the “Engagement” section, where you can see a chart of the exact number of active vs. inactive subscribers and those who’ve unsubscribed within a certain period.

Furthermore, measuring involves tools like Campaign Monitor’s A/B testing tool, where you can send two different versions of an email to a small percentage of your total recipients to know what should work best for the rest. The insights gained from testing your content before delivery can make a serious difference in quality.

By using the inverted pyramid method, you can model exceptional content like this. Notice how important information, like the brand name, is listed at the top, as the content flows in descending order of importance.

By using the inverted pyramid method, you can model exceptional content like this. Notice how important information, like the brand name, is listed at the top, as the content flows in descending order of importance.

Source Campaign Monitor

Does it really matter?

It’s important to remember that writing styles aren’t just cosmetic; techniques like the inverted pyramid have powerful applications in email marketing. By understanding the way people read, you’ll have the insight to reach them better.

When looking to expand your customer base or retain more existing customers, you’ll need to implement special writing styles like the inverted pyramid. The advantages of using it are contrasted by the disadvantages of not using it.

Loyal and engaged customers can increase revenues by 23%.

When not using the inverted pyramid style, readers can end up missing crucial information in your content when skimming. By following the inverted pyramid style, you can accommodate customers who are reading fast and looking for the most important points.

What now?

Now that you know what the inverted pyramid style is and how to use it, it’s time to implement it in your newsletters. Don’t think of the inverted pyramid as just another recommendation that’ll fall by the wayside and never be used to any effect.

The benefits of the inverted pyramid writing style are clear. The advantages it brings to email marketing include a deeper connection with customers, more effective content, and higher conversions. Increasing conversion rates is, of course, one of the primary goals in business. Take your brand’s newsletter content to the next level and learn more about high-performing email campaigns with Campaign Monitor.

This blog provides general information and discussion about email marketing and related subjects. The content provided in this blog ("Content”), should not be construed as and is not intended to constitute financial, legal or tax advice. You should seek the advice of professionals prior to acting upon any information contained in the Content. All Content is provided strictly “as is” and we make no warranty or representation of any kind regarding the Content.

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